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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27305704">Once from the Cherry Tree</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KlavierWrites/pseuds/KlavierRPF'>KlavierRPF (KlavierWrites)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Day6 (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempted Seduction, Bets &amp; Wagers, Friends to Lovers, M/M, and they were roommates!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:34:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,115</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27305704</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KlavierWrites/pseuds/KlavierRPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The hypothesis, posed by openly bisexual Younghyun to his tragically straight college roommate, is this: ‘I’m willing to bet that 99% of the population is at least a little bit bi-curious.’</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kang Younghyun | Young K/Park Jaehyung | Jae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>118</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>My friends, it is time. I'm so excited for this fic. This is just the prologue, I'm hoping that posting it will give me a push to finish the rest. Comments/encouragement much appreciated.</p><p>(Shay, this one is for you. Thank you for working so hard to spread positivity wherever you go, I am blessed to know you. I have at last written some parkian for you to go feral over.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Right from the start, Younghyun knows that it’s a terrible idea. The problem is, though, that he’s just drunk enough, just pissed off enough, just <em>desperate</em> enough that he doesn’t really care.</p><p>It begins, like a lot of things between he and Jae, with an argument. A tipsy, 11pm argument where they’re both dressed in ratty sweats and sat on Jae’s bed, passing a bottle of vodka between them.</p><p>As a rule, Jae doesn’t drink much. But today is an exception, apparently, because he’d just bombed a test he thought he was prepared for and they are decidedly not talking about the effect it’ll have on his overall grade. Instead, they’re talking about hook-ups.</p><p>“What, so you’re telling me you’d really never…?” asks Younghyun, and he knows he must sound disbelieving.</p><p>“Nah, man. Never.”</p><p>“Not even out of curiosity?”</p><p>Jae shakes his head. “I don’t think curiosity is a good enough reason to have sex with someone. That’s, like, a commitment.”</p><p>“Doesn’t have to be,” says Younghyun.</p><p>“For me it would be,” says Jae firmly. “It always has been.”</p><p>Younghyun thinks through the (admittedly short) list of girlfriends Jae has had in the time he’s known him. “So because you don’t like to sleep around, you’re really just gunna limit yourself to girls? <em>Forever?”</em></p><p>“I never said that,” says Jae. “I just said your – the fuck’s the word – <em>hypothesis</em> is bullshit.”</p><p>“S’not bullshit,” says Younghyun. “Tons of people agree with me, you know.”</p><p>“Are those people also bi?”</p><p>“Uh- a lot of them are.”</p><p>Jae shoots him a look and grabs the bottle from Younghyun’s hands to take another sip. “Then there’s your problem.”</p><p>The hypothesis in question, posed by openly bisexual Younghyun to his tragically straight college roommate, is this: ‘I’m willing to bet that 99% of the population is at least a little bit bi-curious.’</p><p>“Anyway,” says Jae, holding the bottle between his knees and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, “the issue isn’t if I personally would kiss a dude, is it? It’s if society at large would kiss a dude.”</p><p>This is, of course, true. But Jae is part of society. And Younghyun, admittedly, has a kind of strong reason for being invested in whether Jae specifically would kiss a dude. “Yeah, but–”</p><p>“If you think about it, what you’re saying is kind of homophobic,” says Jae, talking over him.</p><p>That one stumps Younghyun for a second. “How?”</p><p>“Well, think about Wonpilie,” says Jae, “You wouldn’t tell him he’s gotta do it with a girl just to see what it’s like, would you?” He sounds triumphant, like he knows he’s got Younghyun backed into a corner. Younghyun rolls his eyes and wrestles the vodka out from between Jae’s locked knees. He presses his legs together more tightly to make it harder for him. Asshole.</p><p>“Pilie’s in the one percent,” says Younghyun.</p><p>Jae snorts. “Pilie’s the brokest person I know, present company excluded.”</p><p>“Fuck off, you know what I mean.”</p><p>“So Pilie’s the one percent, what about all the other gay people in the world? They’re bi because you say so? Only gold-star gays get to use the label?”</p><p>Younghyun is so thrown by Jae knowing the term “gold-star gay” he can’t come up with a counter argument fast enough. Jae snorts again and pulls the bottle out of Younghyun’s hands again before he can even take a swig.</p><p>“Admit it, your hypothesis is broken.”</p><p>Younghyun’s brain is kinda foggy, but he knows Jae is right. He didn’t even mean that he genuinely thought everyone in the world was bi. He just meant he thought a lot more people were than they realised, and when Jae had argued back he doubled down. Because he’s desperate, and wanted to hear Jae admit that he, personally, would be down to fuck a dude. Which he has now made disappointingly clear that he is not.</p><p>This would be the place to end it. To let it go, admit defeat, and move the subject of debate onto something less inflammatory. Politics, perhaps. But Younghyun is an idiot. A yearning idiot.</p><p>“I bet I could made you at least a little bi-curious,” says Younghyun. The words are out of his mouth before he can stop them.</p><p>This makes Jae freeze. “I’m sorry?”</p><p>“Me. I could make you– uh. At least consider it.” Oh wow, he’s drunker than he thought.</p><p>Jae’s eyes are sharp behind his glasses. “What are you suggesting?”</p><p>Younghyun hadn’t been suggesting anything concrete. He just spoke without thinking. But now a really, truly, awful idea is forming in his alcohol-soaked brain. “I’ll… seduce you. If you want. By the end of this week, you’ll have to admit you’re a tiny bit curious what it’s like to fuck me.” Fuck a guy, is what he meant to say. He hopes Jae doesn’t notice the distinction.</p><p>Jae is biting his lip. It’s an anxious tic, Younghyun knows, which makes him feel worse about the fact that whenever he sees Jae do it he wants to bite it for him.</p><p>“So what are the terms of this bet?” asks Jae, “You win if my feelings for you change, right?”</p><p>Younghyun isn’t surprised he’s on board. They’ve always been competitive little shits with each other. “Yeah. And if I do win, you have to do my laundry for the next two weeks.”</p><p>Jae frowns. “Is that all? You’re not gunna like… ask me to go on a date with you or something?”</p><p>Younghyun’s stomach drops. Does Jae see through him? “Hell no, dude. This is purely scientific. I’ll do your laundry if you win.”</p><p>There is a strange look on Jae’s face. His eyes look too focused for the amount of alcohol that should be in his bloodstream, and for a horrible second Younghyun really thinks he’s about to be called out for his hopeless crush. But Jae blinks, and his expression clears. “Ok, why the hell not? I’m game.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Day One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'M BACK! I developed a lot of anxiety around writing and writing for Day6 specifically, which meant this fic went on a sudden and unexpected hiatus before it had really even begun. But I think I'm over it now - or at least, over it enough I'm eager to pick this fic back up again. </p>
<p>Updates will be fairly short (around this length) and follow Younghyun's disaster seduction plan day-by-day. I'm hoping that this structure will ease me back into writing nicely.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They fall asleep tangled up in each other, which sounds way more damning than it actually is. Younghyun’s bed has become the place they throw things when they don’t want to leave them on the floor, and sometimes it’s easier to just collapse on Jae’s than bother tidying away the mess of clothes and textbooks on his own. Plus, their campus is nice enough to give them all queen-size beds, so it’s not too much of a squeeze. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It does mean, however, that when Younghyun wakes up squashed against the wall, Jae having starfished during the night, he can set his plan into motion immediately. His mouth tastes and feels like sand and he’s pretty sure he’s going to end up with a headache if he doesn’t get some water into his body stat, but there’s something he needs to do first. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Jae-yah,” he whispers in a singsong voice, leaning over to press his lips against Jae’s ear, “it’s time to get up, Jae-yah.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’s counting on Jae being too sleep-deprived to call him out for the lack of appropriate honorific, and this isn’t part of the proper seduction anyway. More just a convenient way of reminding him about the bet before Younghyun really gets started. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What the hell, dude,” mumbles Jae, eyes flickering open. “Why are you all in my space?” </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m seducing you, remember?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jae pushes Younghyun’s face away with his open palm, almost shoving his finger into his eye in the process. “This isn’t seduction, it’s borderline assault. Get the hell out of my bed.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“<em>Our </em>bed, now,” says Younghyun, still in that singsong voice. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I will seriously throw something at you,” says Jae, and he makes a vague scrabbling motion with his hand on the dresser to find a projectile. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cackling, Younghyun scoots out from between Jae and the wall and topples out of the bed. “I’m gunna go shower,” he says, “you have a chem lab first thing this morning, you told me to remind you.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jae groans. “I’d forgotten.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You’re welcome. Get ready to be seduced today, straight boy.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The plan, which Younghyun finalises in the shower, has three parts to it. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">One: general attractiveness</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun is hot. He has been reliably told this by past partners, and he has eyes. He knows the kind of clothing that makes him look best, he just never wears it because he’s a college student and sweatpants are comfy. But this week is for his tightest black jeans, form-fitting tshirts and button downs, and maybe if he’s feeling bold enough the clubbing clothes Wonpil bullied him into buying one time. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">If Jae is really, 100% heterosexual, this might not do anything. But if he isn’t, it can’t hurt his chances. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Two: being boyfriend material </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun has, admittedly, not got much experience with being a good boyfriend. But he knows how boyfriends are supposed to act, and he’s gunna boyfriend the shit out of Jae this week. Buy him food, do nice things for him, give him as much physical affection as he can get away with without being elbowed in the stomach. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Three: the actual seduction</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Uh… he’s working on this. He’ll ask Wonpil. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The problem is, Younghyun has never needed to actually… seduce people before. He’s been so caught up in Jae for so long that every hookup he’s had has been entirely driven by the other person. Someone finds him hot, slips a hand into his back pocket or asks to buy him a drink, and Younghyun just goes with the flow. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’s been told before that his voice is seductive. But that was by Sungjin, and he was speaking entirely in a musical sense – as in ‘Kang Bra, you take the bridge on this song, your voice is the right kind of seductive’ (Sungjin is the only one of their friendship group actually studying music, not that you’d know that from how he drags all of them into his compositions.) And anyway, Jae hears his voice every day. He was in the room when Sungjin mixed that track. If he hasn’t wanted to jump into bed with Younghyun from his voice alone yet, after three years of friendship, Younghyun doubts it about to happen in the next week. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So yeah. He tables seduction for now. But physical attractiveness? That he can get started on right away. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun’s had to duck out of the bathroom to get clothes loads of times. But usually, he’s quick about it. Calls out first so Jae can cover his eyes or look away, and darts to the nearest pair of clean sweats he can find before returning to the bathroom. Today, though, there’s an opportunity.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He takes his time getting ready, uses the nice bodywash that Dowoon says makes him smell good and towelling his hair until it’s artfully damp and tousled rather than plastered to his scalp. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Then he wraps his towel a little lower on his hips than he would normally and opens the bathroom door. Jae’s still in bed, propped up on one arm and scrolling his phone. He doesn’t even look around when Younghyun enters. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hey, Jaehyungie-hyung?” </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah?” he still doesn’t look up from his phone. Damnit. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You haven’t seen my black jeans, have you?” </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“They’re not on the floor, if that’s what you’re asking.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ah,” says Younghyun. “Ok. In the wardrobe, then.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It’s an entirely useless exchange – he doesn’t wear them enough for them to discarded on the floor. He crosses over the room to the wardrobe, willing Jae to look up, but he doesn’t. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Trying not to feel irritated (and reminding himself that if Jae hadn’t responded positively it would have bruised his ego anyway) Younghyun leans down to pull the sought-after clothing from the bottom drawer. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Behind him, Jae coughs noisily. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You ok?” </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">More coughing. And then, as Younghyun retrieves the jeans and starts searching through his shirts, “Allergies.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ah,” says Younghyun, nodding in understanding. He doesn’t bother asking what exactly set Jae off. It’s spring, so the poor guy’s been sneezing at nothing. Coughing is a little less common, though. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">When Younghyun straightens up and turns around, Jae smiles at him, eyes focused on his face rather than his bare chest. Younghyun tries not to be disappointed.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> He has a go at boyfriending after Jae’s last class of the day. They normally don’t run into each other on campus – Younghyun’s a literature major and the science and humanities buildings aren’t exactly close together. But the whole university site is easily walkable, and one of the campus coffee shops is conveniently located between their two buildings. Younghyun’s seminar lets out half an hour earlier, so it’s easy to walk across, pick up an iced soy latte for Jae and an americano for himself, and be standing outside the door to the labs just as Jae exits. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Brian what the– is that coffee?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jae seems to zero in on the caffeinated drink in his hand, like it’s been days since he last drank coffee not hours. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It’s decaf,” says Younghyun, holding out of his reach slightly. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The pout on Jae’s face is cute enough that Younghyun’s heart skips a beat. He passes it over. “I’m just messing with you,” he says, “double shot.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jae’s hands wrap around the plastic cup like it’s full of warm liquid instead of ice. “You are a godsend,” he says, taking a grateful sip. “I needed this. Professor Jung’s got it out for me, I swear. He asked me to use the autoclave even though he’s only demo-ed it once in class before. And when I asked him to re-explain he acted like I was an idiot. The whole thing would have fucking exploded if I’d done it wrong so he should have been thankful that I was being careful.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun wonders if he should ham up the boyfriend thing a little, remind Jae why he’s doing this. Maybe sling an arm around his waist, jokingly demand a kiss on the cheek as thanks. But Jae’s already started walking, launching into a tirade about his professor, and he can’t quite bring himself to do it. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">For whatever reason, Jae’s taken his attempt at acting like a boyfriend as some kind of platonic sixth sense that Jae needed company and caffeine after a shit day. And bet or not, Younghyun is Jae’s friend first. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Knowing he’s wasting valuable time but not really caring, Younghyun decides to let the whole seduction thing go for today. He’s seeing Wonpil tomorrow, he can ask for advice then. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Pizza for dinner?” asks Jae hopefully, as they exit the main courtyard and start walking down one of the side paths to the student accommodation. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ah yes, the least sexy of foods. “Sure,” says Younghyun, “but we’re getting a pizza each. I can’t stand your weird lactose-free cheese.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Day Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ok,” says Wonpil, “run that by me again?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They’re in the library, ostensibly to study but really to hang out in the short amount of free time they share before Younghyun’s next lecture.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Which part?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“The part where you’ve made a bet with Jae — our straight friend, Jae — that you can seduce him in seven days?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Sounds like you understand just fine to me.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“But <em>why?</em>” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun shrugs. “Because I’m an idiot, obviously. I dug myself into this hole and I refuse to dig myself back out.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wonpil rolls his eyes. “You’re going to get hurt.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wonpil knows about Younghyun’s crush on Jae. Younghyun didn’t tell him — he would rather die than discuss it with anyone, falling for a straight guy is so cliché — but Wonpil is very observant. Or maybe he just knows Younghyun too well. “I’m a big boy,” Younghyun says, “I’ll manage.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wonpil frowns, worry evident on his face. “If you say so.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun looks down at the textbook in front of him. He hasn’t made any effort to read it: it’s still on the page he opened it at when he sat down half an hour ago. Asking for advice to seduce Jae feels silly now, in the face of Wonpil’s concern. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He pretends to read for a minute or so before glancing up. Wonpil is still looking at him, chewing on the end of his pencil. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What is it?” Younghyun asks. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Aren’t you going to ask for my help?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Sorry?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“My help,” says Wonpil, pulling the pencil from his lips to gesture at himself, “in seducing straight guys. I have loads of practise, you know.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Sungjin-hyung isn’t practise. He wasn’t actually straight.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wonpil shrugs.“I thought he was. Same difference.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun closes his textbook and looks at Wonpil narrowly. “That is not remotely the same. And anyway, I thought you wouldn’t want to help me, since you think I’ll get hurt.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“That’ll happen either way,” says Wonpil, “at least if I help, you might get laid at the end.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun laughs. Wonpil is usually so kind and considerate that Younghyun doesn’t always remember that he has a diabolical streak. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ok,” he says, “help me then. How do I seduce Jae?” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wonpil says he needs time to come up with a full plan. Younghyun protests — he doesn’t want Wonpil’s plan, he has a three-step plan of his own. He just needs some tips. But Wonpil is adamant: “All you’ve tried so far is coffee and skinny jeans. You are in desperate need of a planning session.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So that’s how Younghyun finds himself giving up on the opportunity to bring Jae coffee the second day running to instead meet up with Wonpil in the very same coffee shop.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ok,” Wonpil says as Younghyun sits opposite next to him with a black coffee (double shot, he’ll need it to face this conversation). “Here’s what I’m thinking: you need a clearer goal.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I think the terms of the bet are pretty clear,” says Younghyun, “the goal is to make him sleep with me.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Is it?” asks Wonpil with raised eyebrows. “Did you two agree that? Was that the exact wording you used?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I… don’t think so,” says Younghyun. He tries to cast his mind back to two nights ago, but unfortunately the alcohol has blurred his memory a bit. “I think the word I used was… seduce? He has to admit he’s curious what it’s like to— er—” the word seems vulgar in the mild afternoon light of the coffee shop, “—fuck me.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“So no actual sex has to take place?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I don’t think so.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“And it’s not about romantic feelings? He doesn’t have to want to date you?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun shakes his head. “I was pretty clear I wasn’t doing this to ask him out at the end. I thought that might freak him out.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wonpil hums to himself. “So if it’s all physical, why is acting boyfriendly even part of your plan?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Jae-hyung doesn’t do casual sex.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“How do you know?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He told me. Said sex was a… what was the word he used—” God, Younghyun should not have drunk that much— “big deal for him? Or something? I think he’s only been with his ex-girlfriends.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wonpil frowns at him over his latte. It’s an incongruous expression over the mountain of whipped cream on top. “That’s like two people.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“And knowing that, you expect him to sleep with you, no strings attached, in a week?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I need him to admit he’s considering it, not actually go through with it. So I figure, if sex and relationships are really tied up for him acting like his boyfriend can’t hurt.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wonpil’s expression is a little sad. “You’re going to really hurt yourself doing this, Younghyunie-hyung.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You’ve already said that.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You might hurt Jae-hyung, too.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That makes Younghyun pause. Would he?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I don’t… think that’s likely,” says Younghyun slowly. “I mean… either it doesn’t work and he brags about proving me wrong or… it does. And I don’t know how that would hurt him.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You could be forcing him to face something about himself he’s not ready to face.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Like you tried to do with Sungjin-hyung?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wonpil waves a hand dismissively. “That was different. If he was really straight, he wouldn’t have even noticed I was flirting with him.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun has seen Wonpil flirt, and he highly doubts that. But then for all their similarities, Sungjin and Jae are very different people. Sungjin would probably have had no problem letting Wonpil down gently if he’d needed to. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“And,” Wonpil continues, “my goal was clear. I wanted to date him, and I wanted him to want to date me. You, on the other hand, want to date Jae—” Younghyun winces at his matter-of-fact tone, “—and want him to want to date you. But only so he admits that he’s interested in sleeping with you. And he won’t know you’re really interested, because he’s going to think it’s for the bet.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It does sound terrible when he spells it out like that. Younghyun stares down at his hands. His watch tells him that Jae’s afternoon lab will have let out by now, and he’s itching to walk the short distance to the science building to pick him up. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ok,” says Younghyun, biting his lip. “What if… my goal <em>is</em> to make him want to date me? Hypothetically.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Then at some point during this whole seduction challenge you have to tell him that.” Wonpil’s tone is firm, but his eyes are gentle.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Can I wait? Until I have some kind of sign he might be interested like that?” If he’s not, no reason to lay his heart on the line and ruin a friendship.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I think that would be ok,” says Wonpil, and then expression shifts and his lips twitch up. “Does this whole fiasco mean we’re going to actually talk about it now?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Talk about what?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“The fact you are literally arse-over-tits in love with your roommate, and have been almost the entire time I’ve known you?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun downs his coffee. “I should go and meet Jaehyungie-hyung.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“<em>Noooo!</em>” says Wonpil dramatically, throwing himself across the table grabbing Younghyun’s hand as he tries to stand up. “Please! I want to talk about boys! The only men Sungjin-hyung will talk about are <em>soccer players</em> and I need gossip!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun shakes off his hand. “Gossip with Dowoon-ah.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“About you and Jaehyungie-hyung? I already do. But I’ve been respecting your wish not to talk about this for so long and I’m <em>dying</em>. I want more info from the source! Why did you fall for him? Has there ever been a moment you thought he could feel the same—”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m going now.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“But I didn’t tell you my plan!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun pauses. “You actually came up with one?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well, no,” Wonpil admits, “I tried to, then I hit that roadblock of not understanding your goal. But now I know you’re finally acting on your big gay crush for real, I can give you tips.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Reluctantly, with another look at his watch, Younghyun sits back down. “Hit me.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Acts of service,” says Wonpil promptly.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Jaehyungie-hyung’s love language. I’m like 90% sure. He gets weird about gifts but one time Sungjin-hyung offered to proof-read his essay and he looked like he was gunna cry. You could try compliments, too, and see how he reacts.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh.” It’s not a bad idea. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What’s yours?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun blinks. He knows about love languages, but he’s never really thought about it. “I guess… physical touch?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wonpil nods. “Like me, then.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“How does that work, dating Sungjin-hyung?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He initiates,” says Wonpil. “So it’s on his terms.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun can’t imagine Sungjin initiating cuddle time with Wonpil, but he supposes that's what relationships do to you.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wonpil finishes his latte, wiping the cream from his top lip with his tongue and then clasping his hands together on the table purposefully. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ok,” he says, “So my advice is to carry on with your plans to make yourself hotter, they can’t hurt. But focus on doing nice things for him. If you’ve framed this whole thing as an attempt to seduce him, then Jae will probably be expecting you to touch him a lot, right?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">I touch him a lot anyway, Younghyun doesn’t say. He’d woken up in Jae’s bed again that morning — they’d both fallen asleep watching a movie on Younghyun’s laptop. “I’ve set that precedent, yeah.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well, don’t. Use it sparingly, it’ll be more powerful that way. And when you do, touch him in ways you wouldn’t normally.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Younghyun wants to point out that he distinctly remembers Wonpil missing no opportunity to press himself against Sungjin before they were dating, but resists. His advice does seem sound, after all. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ok,” he says. “Thank you, that’s helpful. Does walking him home from class count as an act of service?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I think so.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Cool,” says Younghyun, standing up again, “if I walk quickly I can still make it.” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wonpil doesn’t try and stop him going this time. “Go get him, Romeo.”</span>
</p>
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